Every email sent through EMail Parrot uses one of four address formats. The format determines who receives the message and how replies are routed.
The Four Address Formats
Full list
listname@domain
Reaches all members of the list. Replies go back to the full list.
Example: family@emparrot.com or support@e.yourco.com
Sublist
sublist.listname@domain
Reaches only members assigned to that sublist. Replies go back to the sublist.
Example: care.family@emparrot.com reaches only the members in the care sublist of the family list.
Restricted sublists are prefixed with ^ and can only be sent to by sublist members. Any email from outside the list addressed to a ^ sublist is quarantined. Example: ^board.pta@emparrot.com.
A handful of sublist names are reserved for system commands (admin, self, nomail, help, and others) and cannot be assigned to members - see Reserved Sublist Names in the admin guide.
If a sublist address is used but no current members are assigned to that sublist, the behavior depends on who sent it. Email from outside the list is forwarded to the list admin(s) with [No List Match] added to the subject - no notification is sent to the original sender. Email from a list member to a nonexistent sublist is quarantined and the sender receives a bounce notification.
Direct message (member to member)
~pseudonym.listname@domain
Reaches the one member with that pseudonym. The tilde (~) at the start signals a private message. Replies go back to the sender’s pseudonym address.
Example: ~dad.family@emparrot.com reaches only the member whose pseudonym is “dad” on the family list.
Spaces in pseudonyms become underscores in addresses: a member named “John Smith” is reached at ~john_smith.listname@domain.
Direct messaging can be disabled by a list admin if all communication should go through the full group.
VPE external (open lists only)
+recipient=at=recipientdomain.com+listname@domain
Routes a message to an outside party through the list relay. The @ in the recipient’s address is replaced with =at=. The outside party sees the email arriving from your list address, not your personal address. Their reply routes back through EMail Parrot to the list.
Example: +vendor=at=supplies.com+team@e.yourco.com sends to vendor@supplies.com through your team list.
Use the free address conversion tool to convert any outside address to VPE format without manual editing.
To route through a specific sublist (so only that sublist’s members see the conversation): +recipient=at=domain.com+sublist.listname@domain
Reply Routing Summary
| What you reply to | Where the reply goes |
|---|---|
| Full list message | Full list |
| Sublist message | That sublist |
| Direct message | The sender only (via their pseudonym address) |
| VPE external message | Back through EMail Parrot to the outside party |
Important: Clicking Reply on a list email sends your reply to the whole list, not just the sender. To reply privately to the sender only, use their direct message address (~pseudonym.listname@domain). You can find all direct message addresses by requesting the address book (see below).
Address Book
Emailing addressbook.listname@domain from your member address returns a list of all current members’ direct message addresses. No real email addresses are included - only pseudonym addresses.
Example: Send any email to addressbook.family@emparrot.com and you will receive back a message listing every member’s ~pseudonym.family@emparrot.com address.
This feature is only available when direct messaging is enabled on the list. An admin can also send the address book to all members at once from the admin dashboard.
Other member self-service addresses (pause/resume delivery, unsubscribe, help) are covered in the Member Guide.
Saving Contacts
For regular outside contacts you reach through VPE, save their contact record in your email client using the VPE-format address rather than their real address. This ensures every future message to them routes through EMail Parrot and their replies always come back through the relay. If you accidentally use their real address directly, that message bypasses the relay and exposes your personal address.
EMail Parrot also rewrites real member addresses found inside calendar invites (.ics), contact cards (.vcf), and mailto: links on every external delivery - see Address Protection in Attachments and Links.
Need more? The Administrator Documentation covers member settings, group configuration, quarantine management, and all dashboard functions. For the full set of member self-service commands, see the Member Guide.
Questions? Email info@emparrot.com